All I've Known
by BlondeHairedSlytherin
Summary: Harry Potter is having weird dreams again. He's going mad, doesn't want to return to Hogwarts, and nearly kills Ron! Harry disovers many secrets about himself AND Neville Longbottom's association with Voldemort... first fanfic please R&R!
1. Nightmares at Privet Drive

**All I've Known**

Disclaimer: The characters of this story (with the exception of Carleigh) all belong to J.K. Rowling. The plot is mine, which would be the seventh book if I were to write it.

Chapter One: Nightmares at Privet Drive

Harry Potter thought he was going mad.

He had just dreamed of his Aunt Petunia and Uncle Vernon driving the Wealsey's flying car that he and Ron had crashed into the Whomping Willow five years ago. They had had a rather unusual tea with non other than the Dark Lord Voldemort himself, the evening filled with discussion on various ploys to destroy Harry.

He finally aroused from his sleep at about three o'clock in the morning after Aunt Petunia had suggested killing him from a werewolf bite, only to find his scar prickling, his back extremely sweaty and himself having sleepwalked into Dudley's room.

He had been having these nightmares all summer long. Before his last year at school, he had briefly considered never again bestowing his presence in Hogwarts again. But before his sixth year had ended, Ron Weasley and Herminone Granger had finally convinced him to stay. They felt he would be safer there under the supervision of their teachers, and another year of Defense Against the Dark Arts under his belt couldn't hurt in his ambition to become an Auror.

So he stayed. But so far, the first three weeks of summer holiday were slow, dreadful, and worrisome. He worried about his friends, the rest of the wizarding population, and not to mention the return of Voldemort. For he knew that he alone, must eventually end his reign, or die trying.

As he trudged back into his own room, he thought back over his career at Hogwarts for the last six years. What had he really accomplished on his own, without Ron, Hermione, or the D.A.?

He defeated Voldemort in his first year by killing Professor Quirrell and saving the Philosopher's Stone.

In his second year he rescued Ginny from the Chamber of Secrets and destroyed Tom Riddle, other wise known as the Dark Lord.

He saved Sirius Black, his godfather and dads best friend, from dementors, and saved Buckbeak the hippogriff from being executed the year after that.

He won the Triwizard Tournament, witnessed the rebirth of Voldemort and escaped him again in his forth year, after seeing Cedric Diggory die at the mercy of the Dark Lord.

Perhaps the most eventful year of all was his fifth year, where again he escaped Lord Voldemort, and dueled many of his Death Eaters inside the Ministry of Magic alongside Ron, Hermione, Dumbledore, and a few members of his D.A. That year, Sirius died.

And now, after his sixth year where he discovered the secret of Voldemort's demise and witnessed Dumbldore's murder by Professor Snape, the teacher he disliked more than anything, he was ready to give up. He realized that he had, in fact, not done anything slightly important as the Boy Who Lived, the Chosen One, or any other ridiculous name the media had given him.

Harry Potter was indeed going mad.


	2. The Kreacher Fiasco

Chapter Two: The Kreacher Fiasco

Harry awakened the next morning to an ear splitting scream that suggested he had been the cause of this fright. He clambered out of bed and shuffled down the stairs to see what all the fuss was about, but as he stepped into the kitchen at the end of the hallway he froze in shock.

Kreacher, the house elf Harry owned, was standing there holding a frying pan above his head, beating Dudley as he ran in circles around Aunt Petunia. As he laughed gleefully, Kreacher came to a halt and stared loathingly at Harry.

"Kreacher, stop that," said Harry automatically, but with disbelief. Kreacher was here, in his house, hitting Dudley with a frying pan. It was a shame to make him stop, because he found it highly amusing to see precious Diddums being walloped unmercifully.

"Kreacher must stop, for the dirty blood traitors friend commanded him to, but Kreacher hates Harry Potter no matter what Dobby says. What mistress would say now if she knew I must live in this dump…"

"Hang on, you haven't got to live here! I sent you to work in the Hogwarts kitchen last year. What the hell are you doing here?" asked Harry incredulously.

"Kreacher was thrown out Harry," answered Professor McGonagall through the doorway. "He bewitched the cauldrons to run away whenever the house elves tried cooking in them. We couldn't control him so he's staying here. I just wanted to make sure this house was where he ended up."

"So, so this, this… thing, has to live he, he, here does it?" whispered Petunia, who was obviously frightened of the tiny rat-like elf standing in the middle of her kitchen.

"Yes I'm afraid so," responded McGonagall with a note of finality in her voice. "Only Harry can control him, and I'm sorry to say, Harry, that you've been forbidden to free him on account of he knows too much information about the Order, as always." Turning to face Petunia: "He can cook, clean, do household work, whatever it is that Potter here tells him to do. See you at Hogwarts Harry." And with that, she twirled her ruby-red cloak around her and Disapparated into thin air.

Harry was terribly lucky that Uncle Vernon was at work; otherwise Harry would have been chucked up in his room and wouldn't be eating dinner for a week. He climbed the stairs to his room, hoping Aunt Petunia would be too shocked to notice. But as he placed his foot on the squeaky bottom step, he heard the shrill cry of her yelling for him to get his behind back into the kitchen.

_Bloody hell_, Harry thought as he turned on his heel and went back down the stairs. _What on Earth am I going to do now?_

Just at that moment, the front door swung open forcefully, revealing Uncle Vernon swaggering in with the manager of his company, but stopped dead as he entered the kitchen. Without a second thought, he turned around and guided his guest into the living room instead.

Harry dashed outside and ran down the street to Mrs. Figg's house, remembering that she was a Squib. Maybe she would know what to do about his elf situation.

"GET BACK HERE YOU RUDDY GIT!" screamed Uncle Vernon as he waddled out of the house, attempting to chase after Harry. "GET BACK HERE OR YOU'LL NEVER SHOW FACE IN MY HOUSE AGAIN! I SWEAR BOY I'LL KILL YOU!"

Harry dashed straight on past Mrs. Figg's house and ran into something he couldn't see. He toppled over and crawled backwards fearfully. Running into things you couldn't see was never a good sign in the Muggle world, or the wizarding world for that matter.

"Need a lift, Harry?" asked the air in front of his face. Smiling shyly, Percy Weasley shook off an invisibility cloak that was large enough to cover himself, and a brand new _Firebolt 2.0_. Percy had basically disowned himself from his own family, and considered Harry to be rather violent and didn't believe Ron should be friends with him. Two years ago he had sent back his Christmas present to his mum and caused the whole family a lot of confusion, and in Mrs. Weasley's cause, heartbreak.

"We'll go back to your place, grab your trunk and be off to the Burrow," he said as they flew back over Vernon's head and through Harry's window.

"PETUNIA, PETUNIA! HE'S GONE THROUGH HIS WINDOW! CATCH HIM, CATCH HIM AND LOCK HIM UP!"

Harry threw all his books and robes and Hedwig's cage in his trunk as Percy quickly locked the door. He could hear Aunt Petunia and Dudley banging on his door and shouting at the top of their lungs. He felt quite sorry for the poor chap from his uncle's work downstairs that would have to have his memory seriously modified after this.

He lept out the window and Percy grabbed his trunk. They both hopped back on the broom, and Harry thought ruefully: _This is the second time I've had a house elf inside my house._


	3. Escaping Almost Certain Death

Chapter Three: Escaping Almost Certain Death

As Harry sat on Percy's broom flying over London, he wondered why Percy, of all people, was rescuing him from the Dursleys. He had made his own family's lives a living hell. He hadn't spoken to them for three years and now decided to magically show up?

But Harry was grateful to him for saving his neck from Uncle Vernon. He would have surely been ripped to shreds for allowing Kreacher in the house and then running away! At least Aunt Petunia would have someone to do all the housework…

An hour or so later, they arrived at the Burrow. Mrs. Weasley came rushing out in an apron and slippers and flung her arms around Percy's neck, embracing him in a rib crushing bear hug. Just as Harry caught a glimpse of Ron and Hermione sprinting out the front door, Fleur, as Ginny called her, "Phlegm," Delacour swept out from the broom shed Harry had hid in last year with Dumbledore, accompanied by a rather flushed-looking Bill Weasley. Mrs. Weasley gave a disapproving sniff as Fleur grasped Harry around the waist and twirled around in a circle with him.

"'Arry! I have missed you so much! Eet is a pleasure to see you again!"

"Erm, hello Phleg - I mean, Fleur!" said Harry as Ginny giggled behind him. His stomach flipped suddenly when he heard her voice. He still hadn't gotten over their relationship that he had to end last year at Hogwarts during Dumbledore's funeral. Ron dashed over, grabbed him around the wrist, and dragged him off to the kitchen before his mum could scream and ask Harry why he hadn't eaten all summer.

"Good to see you mate!" exclaimed Ron. "How were the Muggles? And why are you here a week early? And what's _Percy_ doing here?"

"Well, Kreacher showed up and my aunt flipped out, and I sorta, ran into Percy." Harry gave a chuckle as he remembered quite how literal that statement actually was. "And he told me to get my trunk, and then we flew here."

"Well he's still a git if you ask me."

"Oh Ronnie, why can't you ever be nice?" asked Hermione as she ran a finger affectionately down his ear. "He's part of your family, and that's that! Do try to get along with him!"

"How can I 'get along with him' if he left our family to work for Barty Crouch for Dumbledore's sake?" asked a frustrated Ron as Harry suddenly grew silent at the mention of Dumbledore's name. Ron flushed as red as his hair as he corrected his blunder. "Oh no, I mean… just, well, but… how could he?"

"Forget it Ron," whispered Harry. He was seething inside about how carelessly Ron had just tossed out his name. How dare he say 'Dumbledore' when he shudders at the name 'Voldemort?' And what was up with Hermione? Acting as though she was in love with Ron?

But most of all, what was up with Harry Potter? He cursed at himself under his breath as he followed Ron and Hermione out the kitchen door, both who were looking very sore at him.


End file.
